Snapchat Releases New Scan Tool Updates, Including New Scan Shopping Options

Snapchat has released a new update for its Scan features, which will give users more opportunities to use the Snap Camera to learn more about what they're seeing and take more immediate actions based on what they're seeing.

Snapchat's Scan feature was first introduced two years ago, giving Snap users yet another avenue to gather information through the app. Snap has continued to add more capability to the tool over time, and with users becoming more acclimated to scanning barcodes as part of COVID-19 tracing activities, that behavior has become more routine, creating greater opportunities for Snap's solutions in this regard.

First and foremost, Snapchat is making the Scan feature more prominent by placing it on the app's primary Camera screen. As you can see, the Scan option is now located in the middle of the app's lower function bar.

According to Snap, with this update, the Scan button on the main Camera is now front and center, making it easier than ever to access entertaining and useful experiences in categories like fashion, cuisine, plants, and more. This, in turn, should encourage more users to try out Scan and discover what it has to offer, perhaps increasing adoption and usage.

Snapchat, like most social media platforms, has been gradually expanding its eCommerce capabilities and enabling more direct purchasing choices within the app. Snap has made augmented reality a priority in this regard, with enhanced Try-On capabilities and digital size options, as well as plans to integrate more digital apparel options, such as Bitmoji character merchandise. Snap users will soon be able to shop using pre-captured photographs rather than only new ones snapped in the app, thanks to Scan.

People enjoy taking screenshots of items they encounter online and returning to them later, and with Scan, we're making it easier than ever. Simply utilize Scan technology to identify and buy such outfits with shopping capabilities through Memories by tapping into your screenshots.

From today, the new Scan shopping elements will be rolled out in stages across iOS and Android, with Shopping from Memories arriving in the coming months. Finally, Snapchat is making its new Camera Shortcuts function available to all users.

“Camera Shortcuts” recommends camera settings, lenses, and soundtracks that are appropriate to what's being seen through the Snapchat Camera. Camera Shortcuts will be available to all iOS users worldwide starting today.” The new feature gives you yet another method to take advantage of Snapchat's ever-evolving detection tools to better your in-app experience.

As Snapchat moves towards AR and overlaying digital material on your real-world perspective, Scan will eventually be integrated into a fully AR-enabled Spectacles experience, the company said.

To offer a better personal computing experience for consumers, Scan is being further developed. Information and entertainment will be readily available as individuals interact with friends, discover the world and get things done. Just as Facebook and others are building their AR wearable gadgets that will take the interconnectedness between online and offline to another level, Snap is working on Spectacles' next phase.

With QR code scanning as a tracking mechanism to help prevent the spread of COVID-19, now is the opportune time for Snap to be making a stronger push on supporting that device connection, more so than in times past, as highlighted in the article. These new enhancements give Snap's Scan choices greater utility and purpose, which might make it a more prominent part of the overall Snap experience. Additionally, marketers should keep an eye on this growth and think of ways to integrate the same functionalities into their promotional activities.